Black Rose
by Stephany09
Summary: Edward pulled me to his side giving me a long, lingering kiss and then pulled away. He pulled out his knives and I did the same, preparing for the fight that was to come...
1. Chapter 1

Every night I took a dive into the confusion and darkness of my dreams. Tonight I was forced to relive the death of my mother, of my creator. _I screamed profanities and fought off the vampire guards sent to restrain me, but I couldn't reach her. She died with tears in her eyes and a sad smile as she watched me struggle. After I saw that there was nothing I could do, I collapsed to the ground, tears in my own eyes. The guards forced me up, wanting me to witness what happened when you went against the Volturi. _

_I watched helpless, as she was ripped to pieces and thrown into a fire that been made in the middle of the road. Tomorrow the humans would gossip over what the beautiful, but somewhat threatening, nobles had been doing in the middle of the night. My pain would be represented by the burn marks on the ground and by nothing more._

I awoke gasping and immediately reached for the lamp. It was a joke of course, I could see in the dark, but having the warmth and reassuring light helped to calm me. I reached for the clock, 2 AM. Sighing, I ran my hand through my chocolate brown curls. This time my mind wandered to happier times as I lay back down.

_My skirts spread around me, I was sitting against a tree in a meadow, my hair tied back at the nape of my neck, watching the river that ran by._ This was before the fire, when I still had my life, still had my mother, and still had my love. The sun was soaking in to my arms and legs, and I could almost feel it from where I lay in bed. I had just begun to think he wouldn't come when _someone spoke behind me, making me jump._

"_Isabella", I turned to see that a handsome, young man with startling grey eyes had spoken and ran forward, giving him a kiss. "Edward", I whispered in his ear. No more needed to be said. We sat down, relaxing in the shade of the tree. _I had always felt safe here, under this tree, as if no one else existed; no one else, but of course, Edward. _I moved closer to Edward and he leaned down trailing kisses down my neck and murmuring my name against my skin. I leaned my head back against the tree, exposing more of my neck. _Today, I could still remember how that felt, how warm and wonderful, even though it had been hundreds of years ago. But, this person in the dream, Isabella, was no longer me. For one, I didn't let anyone call me Isabella anymore. If anyone knew my name, they called me Bella. If someone did call me Isabella they knew it was a quick way to a fight that they would lose.

_I turned my face towards Edward, capturing his lips in mine. We remained locked, both enthralled as we explored each other's mouths. I found it funny how he easy he could forget the fangs I hid in my mouth, and the venom. He pulled away, untying my hair and running his hands through the long curls. "Isabella", he whispered, "Isabella." He gave me a soft kiss on the forehead, "I love saying your name. It's as beautiful as you are. I love you." He caught my lips in his again._

_I pulled away from him, this was the first time he had declared himself, "I love you, too." I leaned into the waiting lips, and wrapped myself in the happiness of the moment._

I awoke again, at the insistent ringing of the alarm. But, this time I awoke smiling. But that smile quickly faded away as I considered my past. Not too long after Edward and I declared ourselves we were forced apart and I've never seen him again. This is why I live; this is why I haven't let myself get caught, even though the Volturi have always kept an eye out for me. Evidence of this have been the few times they've almost managed to catch me. Ever since I found out about their desire to catch me, and probably torture me until they tired of the game, and the Volturi never get bored of something as entertaining as pain, I've made it a point of mocking them by leaving a black rose everywhere I've been, or on everybody I've killed.

I did this now, getting out of the bed I had borrowed for the night. I had charmed another man into bringing me into his home and he had been rewarded, not by sex as he had supposed, but by a quick death. Usually, I did give my victims a little more excitement before sucking them dry of their blood, but I had been very hungry, having spent quite a while without feeding. I pulled on my clothes and picked a rose out of a bouquet of flowers.

I made myself relive the feeling of piercing the man's skin with my fangs and _sucking up the pounding, warm, delicious blood._ Just thinking of last night made venom drip down my fangs, dripping on my tongue and then on the rose as I held it up. I never tired of watching the change. Wherever the venom touched the pure red of the rose, it turned darker and darker, until the whole rose was black. A black rose, my favorite flower, and what the Volturi had come to know as my signature. The red rose, to me, represented life and love. The black rose represented death and danger. To me, the change from red rose to black rose was like the change from human to vampire, both with the aid of venom.

Making the bed, I then undressed my dinner from last night. I placed him, naked, perfectly centered on the bed with the black rose on his chest. Every time, I left the scene exactly the same, except sometimes there was a girl on the bed, not a guy. Some would say that I had become colder than the Volturi themselves, that I was heartless. And I would say that of course I was heartless, I had given my heart to Edward that day under the tree.

I had spent a lot of time looking for him. I took all the help I could get, from many different vampires. Sometimes their tips led to dead-ends; sometimes they led to a place where I could get another tip. I had a feeling that someone was keeping him away from me, moving him from place to place, always a step ahead of me. It was infuriating. For all this time there had always been someone a step ahead of me _or maybe Edward didn't want to be found by me._ I shook my head of the thought, that wasn't true, Edward loved me and he had proved it.

Tonight I was going to meet another vampire who could probably help me get ahead of the game. It was dangerous to do so, it could be a plan by the Volturi to catch me. They shouldn't know I was in the city until they found the body, but I was always cautious. I cared practically nothing about my life, maybe in death things would be better, but if I died Edward would die too.

Unless he had been changed since I last saw him, which he could have been, Edward was still human. But, I had let him drink my blood and he was bound to me. This type of bond was usually made by vampires to create servants who could live as long as they did. But, I had used it to keep Edward alive.

We always met under that tree in the same place. We saw each other in the village but we couldn't talk or show that we knew each other. But, even though I was very careful, one of the guards got suspicious and followed me out into the meadow where he discovered us entwined kissing.

I was turned in and my beautiful Edward was going to be killed. I didn't meet a similar fate because I was a favorite of the Volturi. Their good friend Carlisle created my mother Tatiana. Tatiana created me and when we came to stay with the Volturi they welcomed us as part of the family. When Carlisle left, we stayed. Mostly because of that, was my life spared but, unfortunately, this luck didn't extend to Edward so, I had to make up an excuse to keep him alive.

In the end, I told the Volturi that I was going to bond Edward to myself, that I wanted my own personal slave. They delighted in this story because they had been trying to make me form a bond with someone for years. They all had their own little pets who, no matter how much they hated the Volturi, if they valued life, they couldn't kill them because that would result in their death, especially since the Volturi are too powerful to be easily killed.

Forming a bond with Edward seemed like the best idea to him. He would be able to live and he could spend all his time with me and have an excuse for it. I wasn't so sure, to be so dependent on someone else is never a good idea. But, I wasn't ready for him to become a vampire so I had to do it. That night, with the Volturi watching, I slit my wrist and held the cut over Edward's mouth, before it could heal. Reluctantly, he latched on and sucked up a mouthful of blood. I could tell he enjoyed the taste, it was only natural, and let him take more.

When I finally pulled my arm away from him he was left looking for more. His eyes were hungry and his lips red with my blood. I felt uneasy but pushed these thoughts away as I showed him to his new room, beside mine.

Shaking myself free of those memories I opened the window and easily climbed out. I had a feeling that tonight I would find out where Edward was. Now, I had a day to kill, quite literally. I put my senses on high alert, looking for signs of the Volturi, but also for a quick delicious snack. I decided to go into a restaurant and wait a while to see what happened.

Sure enough, an hour after I had entered, and walked into the restrooms, someone with the right scent walked in. I waited for the telltale sign of the door being locked and then using my nose I found the right stall. I grabbed onto the door and lifted myself up, and then I flipped over it and landed in the stall facing the girl. Because girl was what she was. She looked no older than sixteen and I felt a twinge of doubt but my body was already waiting for a kill, muscles tensed, venom dripping down my fangs, and plus, I could tell her shock was fading and she would scream soon.

I grabbed her harshly, pulling her towards me and sinking my fangs into her flesh. My venom had her paralyzed and I knew that if I dint take her blood and reclaim that venom, it would slowly spread through her bloodstream turning from something paralyzing to something very _painful_. So, all doubt forgotten, I greedily sucked up her blood. Then taking a rose out of my hair, I always carried two, I turned it into a black rose and placed it on her lap. I pulled myself over the stall door again and quickly left the restaurant. I repeated the same procedure in several other restaurants before I felt fully prepared to face tonight.

The rest of the day passed in a blur and finally I found myself sitting in a chair at a new restaurant in a floor length, sleeveless, silver dress. It swept grandly along the floor when I walked. I had my hair down, framing my face, and I knew I looked like the princess I had once been. I would have felt like a princess if it wasn't for the knives strapped to my thighs and my tensed muscles ready to move at a moment's notice. I was wearing the dress because I knew that Jasper appreciated appearances. He would be informing me tonight.

Finally he arrived. I had worked with him before and he always gave accurate information. He leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Hello Isa-", he cut himself off, "Hello Bella. Looking beautiful in that dress. I hope you didn't get dressed up for me." He gave me a playful smile.

"Never Jasper," I returned smirking, "You know I couldn't care less about what you think. Now about why we're here. Do you know where Edward is?" I didn't expect him to know, that would make things too easy and I had learned long ago that things were never easy. As an afterthought I added, "And why I haven't been able to find him."

His expression clouded over and then turned joyful again. But, quite seriously, he said, "Bella, you haven't found him because someone has been keeping him from you. Don't think he has been running from you. And yes, I think I know where he is. He's in this city, Bella," he handed me a card, "Go to that address and look for him. If you don't find him, look for leads as to where he has been taken." I got up to go.

"And Bella," he continued as I turned back, his expression was no longer joyful at bringing me good news, "Carlisle has been keeping him from you." With that he got up and left. I was still staring at his empty seat in shock. Carlisle had not understood my attraction to Edward but he was a friend, practically a father, he couldn't have done this to me.

I turned away from Jasper's seat and quickly left the restaurant. Carlisle or no Carlisle, to night I was going after Edward. Right now, I was going to change out of this dress. I would finally know what had become of my one and only love, my Edward.

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An hour later I was climbing in through a window, knives ready, at the address Jasper had given me. It was a little house between a store and an alley. I left the bedroom I was currently in and moved to the kitchen. As I was taking a careful look around the lights were switched on behind me and I was knocked to the ground and pinned. The knives were kicked out of my hands and I watched them slide across the floor noting where they stopped. I was being held down, pressed against the floor, by a vampire. No human could take me down.

As I tensed, mentally preparing to fight back, a familiar voice spoke, "Isabella, you've changed."

I froze and without thinking blurted out, "Carlisle?"

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**Thank you for reading, this is my first story, please let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

"_Come down, Isabella."_

"_No, I don't want to. I hate Tatiana!"_

"_Why?"_

"_She turned me into this monster."_

"_Oh. So I guess you think I'm a monster too. I guess you hate me too."_

"_No Carlisle. You're not a monster," I jumped out of the tree and gave him a hug. The only good thing about becoming a vampire had been meeting him._

"_If you're a monster, then I'm a monster."_

"_Okay, okay Carlisle. I'm not a monster and you're not a monster either."_

"_Good, now give Tatiana a chance."_

"_Okay," I mumbled, letting him kiss my forehead. We slowly made our way back to Tatiana, who I promptly gave a hug. I smiled at her surprise._

I awoke smiling but my face turned serious again as I heard a crash downstairs. I could hear screaming and a child crying. In less than five seconds, I was out of bed and downstairs in Carlisle's living room. Carlisle was holding a woman down, who, to her credit, was struggling madly against her death. _Why would someone fight like that when their death was clearly written in stone?_

My answer came as I heard a child cry out again. Turning around I saw a little boy huddled in the corner, tears sliding down his cheeks, staring at his mom. The woman still struggled, eyes locked on her boy, but Carlisle had found his way to her neck. His eyes darkened in anticipation and he opened his mouth, exposing his fangs, I could see venom dripping down them.

Without thinking, I turned and threw myself in front of the boy. I would not let him see his mother die. Opening my arms to him I quietly asked, "Are you hungry? Don't worry. Mommy is here visiting some friends, she's just playing a game of pretend, she's okay." He seemed to think about it for a second and then he tried to peek over my shoulder. I straightened myself so that he couldn't see what I could definitely hear. He frowned and then seemed to deliberate for a second, obviously noting that his mom had stopped yelling, before deciding to trust me. He cautiously nodded his head.

I turned him around and pushed him through the doorway, through the hallway, and into the kitchen. "You want some milk?" I cooed. He nodded his head and I opened the fridge, pulling out the gallon. I looked around for a pot and then poured some milk into it, putting it on the stove. After it was warm, I poured it into a cup and passed it to him. He was sitting at the table and quietly he said, "Thank you." I almost cried, _because of my kind he no longer has a mother and he's thanking me. Thanking me! _"You're welcome," I pleasantly replied. He quickly drank the milk and soon he started rubbing his eyes.

"You tired?"

"Yes."

"Want to take a nap?"

"Yes." He seemed to be thinking. "Will I see mommy when I wake up?"

Tears were again threatening to spill down my cheeks. "I don't know."

He seemed to accept that and I gently took his hand and led him through the house, back upstairs, helping him when he stumbled. He lay down and I pulled off his shoes and socks. He flipped onto his stomach and almost immediately he was asleep.

I sat down in front of him and could see his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. The soft sounds he made as he slept filled the room. I brushed his blond hair back from his forehead and ran my hand through his short hair. He was a sweet little angel and tears finally slipped out of my eyes as I watched him. He looked so peaceful. What would happen to him when he awoke?

I thought back to him in that corner downstairs. Blond hair tussled, bright blue eyes shining with tears, cheeks flushed from the exertion of yelling. He had lost his mom and for now, all he had was me. I would decide what to do with him later, for now I needed to talk to Carlisle.

Wiping my cheeks, I ran downstairs, following Carlisle's scent to the back of the house. I found him in a library, reading a book. I looked around at all the books before returning my gaze to him. "Carlisle?" I tentatively called out.

He looked up and said, "I was giving you time with the boy. I noticed that you don't want to kill him."

I nodded my head although it wasn't a question and asked what was on both of our minds, "What are we going to do?"

He sighed, and running his hand through his hair he said, "I don't know."

"Why did you bring a mother, a mother with a _child_?"

"I was hungry and went out to hunt. I had found someone who smelled very appetizing so I quickly pulled her into an alley. I bit her and immediately started feeding. The woman was walking by with her child," here he paused and again sighed heavily, "She saw me and started to scream so I grabbed her and bit her. I could have just broken their necks but the smell coming off of her, Bella. I was close to the house so I picked her and her child up and brought them here. The venom had started moving through her bloodstream by the time we got here, so the paralysis wore off and she started to scream."

"What will we do with the child?"

"That's for you to decide. He seems calm and you seem to like him."

Understanding what he was saying, I shook my head, "No. I can't keep him. That would endanger us. It's not possible. Is it?"

He shrugged and slowly left the room. Frustrated with him, I blew passed him, up the stairs, and into my room, quietly closing the door.

I sat in front of the boy again and realized I didn't know his name. I would ask when he woke up. I couldn't decide what to do. I couldn't keep him, could I? He probably had a father who was worried for him. And I never had been one for children. I didn't have time for stuff like that. But children did seem to take to me. But I couldn't endanger us like that; we'd be extra vulnerable if we had a young child with us. We would also need to keep him happy and fed whereas we didn't need food. I knew I had to decide quickly, Carlisle and I were heading out to morrow. I thought about our conversation yesterday, after he tackled me.

"_Carlisle?"_

"_Yes Isabella, it is me."_

"_I go by Bella now. Jasper told me that you have been keeping Edward from me. Is it true?"_

"_Sadly it is. I can explain why if you promise to wait before you do anything. I notice that you walked in with knives drawn even knowing that you might find me in here."_

"_I'd probably never hurt you Carlisle."_

"_Probably?" He let go of me and I looked up to see his eyebrows raised._

"_Probably," I reaffirmed, picking up my knives, "where is Edward? Why have you been keeping him from me?"_

"_I've been keeping Edward safe, Bella. I was coming back to Italy to visit you, Tatiana, and the Volturi, when I heard of your problem. I got there the day after Tatiana was killed and heard that you and Edward had run away, separately. I thought about going after you but I knew you'd want me to keep Edward safe. Besides, I thought you were probably already on Edward's trail," he paused, thinking._

"_I found him a few miles away. I was surprised the Volturi had not already caught up to him and figured that they were probably devoting their time and guards to you. I explained to him that I was a friend of yours and he decided to trust me since he recalled that you had mentioned me before, with love and trust," here he paused again, rubbing his hand under his eyes to catch a few tears that had escaped. I fought back my own tears._

"_He explained how you were meeting in the Hidden House, disguised as a hill. I told him that I knew the place, seeing as I had been the one to show it to you. But first, we took a nice long trip around Italy, so that we did not reach the house for two more weeks. I thought it would be smart to lead the guards off the trail so we wouldn't be easily found. We reached the House and waited for another week but we were too close to the Volturi, we had to leave to avoid detection. Ever since you started the habit of leaving your black rose behind we've been following you from city to city, country to country. We haven't been able to approach you because of the roses. Whenever a body is found with your signature the Volturi instantly know where you are and I couldn't risk the three of us getting caught, you're fine alone but with a human along we would be in too much danger."_

"_So you haven't changed him into a vampire? I thought you would have done so by now."_

"_I thought it was something you might want to do. Anyway, I decided to change tactics. I returned to Italy to the Hidden House and left Edward there. We hadn't been in Italy for years and we felt that the Volturi wouldn't suspect we'd return now. Then, I returned here and took to tailing you again. I bought this house and have been here for a few months already. I've been sending vampires giving you little hints to where I have been, drawing you closer and closer. When I found out that you were in the city I sent out Jasper to let you know where I was."_

"_But Jasper warned me that you were here, he seemed to believe that you had taken Edward from me on purpose," I stated raising a knife. He looked down at the knife, raised an eyebrow and plunged on with his tale._

"_I couldn't tell Jasper that I was here. I dropped hints. Even though I trust Jasper, he is still part of the Volturi and comes into contact with them often enough. They are not aware that I have been helping you and I do not want them to know yet. It could come in quite useful to still have allies among the Volturi instead of being known as a traitor and criminal." With that, he looked over at me and smirked as if to remind me that I'm known as a traitor to them._

_I smirked back and said, "Are we going to_ –"

The child was crying in his sleep, interrupting my thoughts. I climbed into the bed and gently shook him awake. He opened his big blue eyes and immediately wrapped his arms around me, clinging to me. Surprised, I automatically hugged him back and rubbed soothing circles on his back until he stopped crying. "I'm scared," he said quietly. "It's okay," I replied quietly, "I'll take care of you."

I was overwhelmed at the rush of emotions I felt at seeing this boy crying. Brushing his hair out of his eyes and drying his face with the sheet, I realized that I didn't even know his name. Somehow finding this funny, I burst into a fit of hysterical giggles. Watching me, he also smiled and started to laugh. It was such a beautiful sound, quiet and angelic. "My name is Isabella, what's your name?" I was surprised at myself. I hadn't introduced myself as Isabella in many, many years, too much to count.

"Gabriel," he replied and snuggling against me he promptly fell asleep again.

I listened to his quiet breathing. Carlisle had been no help. I still had no idea what to do with him. _With Gabriel._ It was a beautiful name really. Closing my eyes, I resolved to decide what to do after a relaxing nap.

But it was in no way relaxing. I woke up around noon, tears sliding down my cheeks, still panting from my dream. Gabriel had been with me in this house and he had wandered out of the room. I had followed but he had started running and I sped after him, using my vampire speed and agility. But, he was gone and I was left feeling incredibly sad and lonely. Almost as heartbroken as when I had reached the Hidden House and had not found Edward waiting.

I guess the decision had been made, Gabriel would stay with me. At least if he wanted to. I was suddenly worried about whether Gabriel would want to stay with me or not. I looked down at his face and saw a smile on it, his hand tightening on mine. My worries silenced, I lay back down and closed my eyes again.

Gabriel was going with me and Carlisle to Italy. I drifted off to sleep again.

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**Please review if you like this story and would like to continue reading it, tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for making it to this chapter, please tell me what you think.**

**Warning: There is some sexual content.**

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I quickly packed the suitcase with all of Gabriel's new clothes and toys. We were headed for the airport soon and I wanted to have everything ready for him, so I wouldn't forget anything. We were going to fly into Southeastern France and from there we would cross the border into Italy. It was going to be a long and tiring voyage, at least for Gabriel.

Carlisle entered the room and quietly spoke, "The child is asleep again, we should probably leave now."

I nodded my understanding and dashed upstairs to collect Gabriel. He had been very excited when I had explained to him that we were taking a trip, especially when I had mentioned the plane. Gently, I slid his feet into his new sneakers. Yesterday, along with buying food, I had bought him a new wardrobe complete with shoes and a couple of toys. We could have been gone sooner but we also had to go through a lot of trouble to get Gabriel fake documents.

My decision had many consequences but, as I lifted Gabriel up, I couldn't bring myself to regret it yet. I walked downstairs and sighed when I saw Carlisle waiting by the door with the luggage. I wish we could just take a plane straight there but if I landed in Italy in a plane, the Volturi would be the first to know.

We walked outside and a few minutes later a cab pulled up. Climbing in I gently rested Gabriel in my lap, running my hand through his beautiful golden hair. Carlisle slid in beside me and rested his hands in his lap. "We're going to the airport," he said to the driver who was looking back awestruck. He nodded his head and reluctantly turned to face forward, and pulled out into the street, almost hitting a passing car. I muffled my laughter as he called out apologies. _Ahhh_, the effect we had on people.

Carlisle looked over and smiled, gently taking my hand, then his eyes slid to Gabriel and I saw his expression darken, "Hopefully, the child stays asleep until we reach the plane."

I sighed quietly, "Carlisle, his name is Gabriel. You can't keep calling him "the child," he's been with us for three days already. How could you not have fallen in love with him already? He tries hard to please you. He was the one who went into your library and picked up all the books, putting them all on the table, and he's four. Yet you treat him as if you don't care about him at all."

"I do care about him," he said heavily, "But that's why I'm afraid of getting closer. He's only a child and what we're doing is dangerous enough for two vampires. Bella, why do you insist on going against the Volturi? First you fall in love with Edward and now you want to be a mother to this human child. If we're caught, _Gabriel _will probably be killed and in front of you. Are you prepared to face that?"

"No Carlisle, I'm not. That's why we will not be caught. We will find Edward and figure out what to do from there and Gabriel will be with us."

He sighed and turned to face the window, leaving me staring at the back of his head, my hand forgotten. I snaked my hand back into his and leaned my head against his shoulder, I wouldn't get Carlisle mad at me when we hadn't seen each other for years. He pulled me into a warm embrace and five minutes later we were at the airport.

We only had one bag and it was a carry-on, so we got to skip some of the lines. Half an hour later, we were sitting in the plane and Gabriel was happily watching all the people streaming past. I poked him in the belly and delighted in hearing him laugh. I looked up to see Carlisle smiling down at us. To my surprise, he also poked Gabriel in the stomach and smiled wider as Gabriel laughed again.

As if to answer my confused look he said, "Bella, I do not hate Gabriel, I actually enjoy having him here but….I lost Tatiana to the Volturi and I almost lost you and Edward. The more people I love, the more I stand to lose. And Gabriel is so innocent and vulnerable. He's what you used to be and look where you are now. Fighting your way through life, aware of how it really is. You used to be so young and naïve and now you've been awaken to the harshness of life. I've noticed that you don't go anywhere unarmed and that you still haven't let yourself believe that you might see Edward again. I'd be willing to love Gabriel just on the fact that he's shown me some of what you used to be, the loving, happy Isabella."

I remained quiet as he paused to think. Now that I thought of it, I was more relaxed around Gabriel. And it would be painful to lose him later on but, even more painful to lose him now, just because I was afraid to feel love.

"Carlisle, meeting Gabriel has taught me that you can't live life afraid to love. Especially if you can live forever," I added with a smile.

Carlisle smiled back and then looked over at Gabriel who had been watching us with interest, no doubt trying to understand what we were talking about. "What do you think Gabriel?" asked Carlisle.

Gabriel seemed to think for a moment and then he said, "I don't want to be called Gabriel. My friends call me Gabby."

"So are we friends?" asked Carlisle with a laugh.

Gabriel, I mean Gabby, nodded and hugging me said, "Especially Isabella."

I smiled down and said, "You can call me Bella if you want."

He nodded again and then turned to look out the window. He didn't seem to like talking too much and he seemed content to work quietly on puzzles and pictures. It was a bit strange for a four year old, as he had told me he was, but it suited us perfectly.

He had been calling me Isabella for the last few days because I loved to hear how he said it, his baby voice making it sound beautiful. I also enjoyed being called Isabella since it had been years since I had let anyone call me by that name. I thought my name was beautiful, if not better suited to someone else, but anytime someone called me Isabella it brought back bittersweet memories of the past.

Seating Gabby in the window seat, I strapped him in and then myself. We took off smoothly and then I settled down to sleep. I had not slept last night since I had gone out to hunt. Then, I had watched Gabby sleep as Carlisle took his turn out hunting.

My last thought before drifting off was that I would be seeing Edward in less than two days.

_I ran my hands through his bronze hair as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment, brown staring into grey. Then, his lips were crushing into mine. He started trailing kisses down my throat, lower and lower. I pulled his lips back up to mine. We hadn't seen each other for days, it was getting harder and harder to get away._

_Running my hands through his soft hair again, I suddenly heard a branch break. Then, the soft rustling of leaves, although there was no wind. Edward continued kissing me, not having noticed the unnatural noises._

_I pulled away from him in time to see a bush shaking as whoever was hiding behind it ran away. I turned back to his confused expression and said, "Find an excuse for going missing for these few minutes, like picking berries or going for water. Act like you haven't been near this clearing in a while. Don't act afraid, they'll be able to smell it on you if they interrogate you."_

"_Isabella, what is going on?"_

"_Pack your things. Okay? Someone was here just now, a vampire. We're going to have to run. I'll try to buy you time with the Volturi. We knew this might happen at some point. If you're caught, don't say a thing. I will come after you."_

_He kissed me one last time and then turned to go. Tears slid down my cheeks as I considered what could happen to him. _Isabella. _I turned around. Carlisle?_ Isabella. _Someone was shaking me. _Isabella.

I opened my eyes to see Carlisle looking at me, concern written across his face. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I looked around and saw that flight attendants were walking around, asking people to put on their seatbelts. We were about to land. I looked out the window and realized that I had slept through the whole nine hours of flight time. I rubbed my eyes with my hand and was surprised to feel that my cheeks were wet. I had been crying in my sleep.

I turned to Carlisle, "Yes, I'm okay. I had a bad dream."

He didn't question me, just nodded his head.

"Did you get any sleep?" I asked turning to see Gabby sleeping, slumped in his seat. I suddenly felt guilty, he hadn't slept last night either.

He seemed to notice and quickly said, "Don't worry about it. You know we can go forever without sleep."

"I know that but….a nap is always refreshing. Next time we have a chance to sleep, you get to sleep first."

He just nodded his head again and then rested it back against the seat closing his eyes.

"We'll be landing in five minutes. If everyone could please start putting on their seatbelts," I heard a flight attendant say. I looked over at Gabby and noticed that he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. I straightened him up and then strapped him in. He opened his eyes for a moment and then resumed sleeping.

It was now about 3 AM. We would check into a hotel until morning and then ride the rail into Italy.

At 4:30 AM I found myself tucking Gabby into a twin sized bed. He was already wearing pajamas and had had a cup of milk. It was surprising how easy it was to take care of him. I gave him a light kiss on the cheek and turned off the lamp on his bedside table.

Carlisle was already in the queen size bed and appeared to be asleep. I stripped down to my underwear and crawled in beside him, turning off the lamp beside me. Without opening his eyes, he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close, and whispered good night.

I didn't try to get out of his grasp, as I might have done a week ago had anyone hugged me, but reveled in the warmth. He was right, I was turning back into the "happy, loving Isabella" I used to be. Being with Gabby was softening the hard shell I had wrapped myself in for all these years. I don't know how I even got through all the years. I closed my eyes and was a sleep in a few minutes.

_Whispering seductively in his ear, I pressed myself closer to him. I knew I already had him in the palm of my hand, no one could resist me when I was on the hunt. Laughing softly I let him pull me to the edge of the dance floor._

_This is how I hunted. Today I was dressed in a black, very tight, dress which reached midthigh, was backless, and sleeveless. All of this meaning that there was a lot of my pale skin exposed. _

_I was aware that most of the guys in this club had their eyes on me. So, I made sure to dance with as many of them as I could. Dancing pressed together, I could easily smell the pounding, savory blood running through each of their veins._

_I could feel the venom dripping down my fangs but refrained from doing anything, I was almost done. He was taking me up the stairs to his apartment. He was the one I had chosen to entertain me for the night._

_He thought he was getting lucky, screwing a pretty girl but he was actually quite unlucky. He had smelled the best to me so I had danced with him again and made it clear where I wanted this to go. He had happily obliged and was now removing his shirt. I would give him the last thrill of his life._

_He was tall and muscular. He had big green eyes and black wavy hair. Some girls would consider him hot but I hardly even cared. I pulled off my dress and underwear while he removed his jeans and boxers. He was long and thick, maybe he could actually provide me with some fun._

_Being a vampire, I was highly sensitive to all things, including sex. But, somehow, the buffoons I had been with had not managed to excite me. All of the human men I had been with, all except Edward, but I couldn't think about him right now. I shook my head to clear it._

_He wrapped his arms around me and brought his lips to mine, kissing me roughly. I could feel his erection pressing into my stomach and lightly rubbed against it, making him groan. His hands trailed down my spine, making me shiver._

_Without removing his lips from mine, he lifted me in his arms, moving us so that I was pressed against the wall. I smiled slightly when I realized that he wasn't wearing a condom. Of course it didn't matter because I couldn't get pregnant or contract diseases, but it was the thought that counted. I smiled a little wider._

_My smile froze in place when he slowly thrust his cock inside me, groaning. I wrapped my legs around him causing him to slip deeper inside me. I let out a hiss of pleasure as he pulled out and thrust in again. He started to move faster and harder, pushing me into the wall and making me moan. _

_The pleasure he was making me feel was overwhelming but I couldn't seem to go over the edge. He started pounding into me, moving even faster and biting my throat as he came. His release, as well as the bite on my throat, pushed me over the edge and I came right after him._

_He pulled out of me and turned, dropping me on the bed. He lay down beside me, recovering, and I watched, already ready for round two. I looked over at the clock and sighed. I had to get out of here._

_I climbed on top of him, straddling him, and started trailing kisses down his chest and then back up again. I started to suck on the skin at his throat and heard him groan, pulling me closer. I swiftly bit him and took my time drinking my fill of his savory blood. I hopped off of him and pulled on my clothes and then grabbed my purse, pulling out a black rose. I gently gave him a kiss on the cheek and laid the rose on his chest. I pulled on my shoes and walked down the hall back towards the –_

I opened my eyes to see sunlight streaming in through a window and Carlisle's face looming over me. "Time to go," he said.

Looking around I spotted Gabby, already dressed, drinking a cup of orange juice. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning," I replied just as cheerfully and jumped out of bed, pulling on the clothes I had been wearing last night. I couldn't remember what my dream had been about and the more I tried to remember it, the more it seemed to fade. All I could remember were big green eyes that somehow seemed important and made feel guilty, I quickly turned my thoughts towards getting through the day alive.

The morning went by in a blur and pretty soon I found myself leaving Chambery, in a train filled with tourists, headed into Italy. The trip was surprisingly quick but not fast enough for my liking. Without Gabby we could have been there already but I wasn't about to abandon him yet. We were finally pulling into the station and I couldn't contain my excitement. I would be seeing Rosalie in a few minutes and then Edward.

I had decided that getting close to the Volturi would be hard enough, not to mention dangerous, without having Gabby along. So, I was letting Rosalie, who loved kids, care for him until we returned with Edward. Rosalie had been like a sister to me and I hadn't seen her for years. She would be waiting for us in the station.

I stood with everyone else as the train slowly came to a stop. I picked up Gabby and smiled at him saying, "We're in Italy now."

"Do I get to see your friends now?"

"Yes you do. Right now you're going to meet one of them. You'll be staying with her while I get my other friend. Her name is Rosalie."

"Wosalie," he said quietly and I smiled as he turned to stare out the window.

The doors opened and we waited our turn to leave. I couldn't wait to get out of here it felt like a deathtrap. With all of these people crowded around, anyone could sneak up to us without us noticing until it was too late and with nowhere to go, especially with Gabby.

Finally we emerged into the fresh air. I stood still for a few seconds enjoying the cool breeze and the warm rays of the sun.

I caught the scent of a vampire and a few seconds later, Rosalie was in front of me. She threw her arms around me and Gabby and then around Carlisle.

"How has everyone been? Carlisle I haven't seen you in such a long time. You should have visited when you came in with Edward. I would have helped you guys out."

Carlisle seemed a bit embarrassed and said quietly, "It didn't occur to me to go to you Rosalie. Honestly, I didn't even know you were living in Italy."

I knew that was a lie. But I had to hand it to Carlisle, he sure knew how to lie. He hadn't gone to Rosalie because he didn't know whether to trust her or not. But I could vouch for my once best friend, even if it did leave both Carlisle and I uneasy about leaving Gabby.

Changing the subject I said, "We should probably get going Carlisle. Rosalie, are you sure you're okay with staying with him. I mean he's quiet and good natured but-"

She cut me off saying, "Bella, you know that I used to take care of kids all the time and that I know how to handle them. Don't worry."

"I'll try not to. You guys get going. And remember that no one should know that we're in Italy. Bye Gabby, be good."

I hugged him close to me for a second and whispered, "I love you." Then I quickly passed him over to Rosalie. Carlisle handed her Gabby's bag and they were ready to go. "I'll see you guys later," she said as Gabby sadly waved. She took off and was out of the station in a few seconds.

Carlisle gave me a few minutes to compose myself and we just stood around. I took another moment to look around and inhaled deeply. There was no scent of a vampire as the breeze had taken Rose's scent with it. I turned to Carlisle, about to suggest that we get moving, when the breeze shifted. I froze and took a deep breath to confirm that I was correct and then looked up at Carlisle to see that he had noticed it too. I stared into his eyes and knew we were thinking the same thing.

_Volturi._

Ina few seconds he was in front of me, his long brown hair tied back into an attractive ponytail and his big brown eyes burning into mine.

"Isabella," he said simply.

"Jacob," I replied coldly. I had to calm myself. I badly wanted to jump on him and rip his head off and then lap his blood up. I hated him fiercely.

Behind him stood Jasper who looked uncomfortable with the situation but as I watched, he took on a cold and determined expression. He spoke just as coldly, "Did you really think you could get into Italy without the Volturi being aware? In fact, you've been followed since you landed in Chambery. Taking a plane wasn't your smartest move, but you had no choice I believe. Where is the boy?"

I composed my face, making it blank and unreadable, but I did not reply.

"No matter, we will find him," continued Jacob, gently running his hand along my face, "And Edward," he whispered at my ear and then gently kissed my neck.

I controlled the desire to rip him to shreds and remained still. "We're taking you to the Volturi," Jasper added, taking hold of Carlisle's arm as Jacob grabbed mine, and then gently placed another kiss on my neck.

* * *

**Apparently Jacob and Bella have a history together. Keep reading to find out what, exactly, their history is composed of, and what memories, being in the Volturi's lair, are brought back to Bella. Please tell me what you think (even if you hate it) and continue reading (if you want to). By the way, it might take me a while to update so a teaser for a review. =]**


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